Major TV series Camelot confirmed for Ireland
CAMELOT, a major 10-part US drama series has been green-lit to shoot in Ireland this summer.
Written by Michael Hirst (The Tudors) and Chris Chibnall (Life on Mars, Torchwood) the series will be a retelling of the Arthurian legend based on Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (Arthur's Death).
Filming will commence this summer and will primarily take place at Ardmore Studios in County Wicklow.
The series is an international co-production between Octagon Films in Ireland together with British production company Ecosse Films and Canada's Take Five Productions.
CAMELOT will be the fifth collaboration between Octagon Films and Ecosse Films having worked together on projects including Becoming Jane and My Boy Jack previously.
The producers of the project are Morgan O'Sullivan (PS I Love You, The Tudors) from World 2000 Entertainment and Douglas Rae (Becoming Jane) and Michael Park from Ecosse Films while the executive producers involved are James Flynn of Octagon Films (Leap Year, Ondine), Oscar-winning producer Graham King (The Departed), Craig Cegielski, President of GK-TV, John Weber (The Tudors) and Anne Thomopoulos (Rome).
Casting is currently underway for the drama which is due to broadcast on US cable station Network Starz in 2011 and will be distributed worldwide via GK-TV.
Minister Martin Cullen TD has welcomed the production of the series, saying "Landing a series of this scale is indicative of the quality of Irish film talent both in front of and behind the camera. The adjustments made to the Section 481 tax relief for those wishing to invest in film and television in Ireland have also been a catalyst for securing this international production for Ireland. Congratulations are due to Morgan O'Sullivan and James Flynn who, between them, have a remarkable track record of making award-winning TV series in this country."
The Minister added "Camelot will follow on from where the hugely popular ‘The Tudors' series finished off. I am sure it will be as successful as ‘The Tudor's' and will continue to build on the excellent international reputation of Irish film talent. The benefits of film and television production in Ireland include increased international investment in our economy; increased employment in this sector and positive spin-off effects for promoting Ireland as a tourist destination and as an industrial location for all aspects of creative endeavours."